August 10, 2005

WHO says bird flu subsiding in Russia but government uncertain
 

The recent bird flu outbreaks in Russia's Siberian region is subsiding and should disappear in 10 to 15 days, according to Oleg Kiselyov, director of the National Flu Center of the World Health Organization (WHO).

He added that changing weather conditions in Siberia would be too cold for the disease to spread, and that measures undertaken have helped contain the outbreaks.

Kiselyov said the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in St. Petersburg, needed US$5-12 million to begin production of a bird flu vaccine, and local authorities might secure a loan for it.

However, Russia's government said that it was too early to declare that the epidemic had been contained, even though there were much fewer mass deaths among birds recently.

The government added that only if the current situation continued for another week or two, would it conclude that the situation was definitely stabilising.

Meanwhile, the government said the virus might have spread to two more districts of the Kurgan region in Siberia, which seemed to indicate that the outbreak was not yet contained.